The Big Yes Drill
Say Yes.
Use when you want to explore the potential of an idea.
The Big Yes! Drill will have Wrong Thinkers building on and bringing ideas to new heights. This drill is typically run after we have introduced the Make Stuff Practice, and teams have selected their three most exciting ideas to move forward. Teams are instructed to embrace their inner Chuck Jones as each Wrong Thinker tries to top each others’ ideas with a bolder, more imaginative “Yes, and” statement.
If time allows, kick off your Blitz with the Djibouti Drill to keep your group in a collaborative “plussing” mindset throughout your time together. No devil’s advocates allowed.
Want more? The Bigger Yes! Drill offers the same “Yes, and” action with a twist: the entire group rotates through each teams’ idea for the ultimate cross-collaboration session.
Outcomes
Greater appreciation for potential—and elasticity—of ideas
More robust, vibrant, exciting descriptions of ideas
Insight into how ideas might translate into solutions
Materials
Sharpies
Post-its
Blue tape
Tools
Ideas selected from previous drills.
The Big Yes Poster
Instructions
Step 1
Introduce The Big Yes! Drill.
Step 2
Have Wrong Thinkers place their selected ideas at the top of their Big Yes! Poster.
Step 3
Have a teammate build on the idea with a Yes, and... Statement.
Step 4
Have each teammate Yes, and... their preceding teammate's addition.
Note: Remind Wrong Thinkers to build on their teammate's Yes, and... addition, not the original idea at the top of the poster.
Step 5
[Optional]
Invite teams to dot vote on the three most compelling “Yes, ands” that they would like to see incorporated into their solution.
Tips
Encourage Wrong Thinkers to top their teammate’s contributions with wilder ideas, otherwise you might notice teams ideas getting more detailed and smaller—rather more expansive and crazy.
When to use the Drill
How to introduce the drill
Tips for facilitating the Drill